Thursday, August 16, 2012

Almost every morning, I bake something delicious for our guests. Unfortunately for me, I cannot enjoy most of these goodies due to food intolerances. But, sometimes, I just want to have what everyone else is having. When I saw my guests' delight over the banana "surprise" muffins, I just knew I had to see if I could make them gluten, soy and egg free. This is what I had on hand. If you haven't tried the Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, it is delicious.

I decided to use my vegan banana muffin recipe and just substitute the gluten free flour. I whisked together the flour, baking soda and salt.

I measured the coconut oil and decided to use hot coffee.

I poured the hot coffee into the coconut oil, which allowed it to melt without using the microwave and added the vanilla.

I measured the sugar into a bowl and poured the coconut oil, coffee, vanilla mixture over the top.

A quick stir is all it needed to combine.

I decided to simply mash the banana with a fork directly into the bowl .

That was really easy and combined all ingredients.

At this point, I added the flour, baking soda, salt combo and mixed quickly with a rubber spatula.

Using a 2 spoons, I carefully scooped half the batter into the 4 prepared muffin tins.

About a teaspoon of the Jif Chocolate Hazelnut Spread looked like the perfect amount to go in the center.

The rest of the batter was carefully divided and spread over the top so that the "surprise" center was totally covered.

About 25 minutes later, they looked beautiful.

Nicely browned and domed tops.

I let them cool in the pan about 10 minutes before removing them to the cooling rack.

The moment of truth - will the "surprise" be in the middle?

PERFECT!

Deliciously moist, banana and Jif.

Here's a bite for you!

I must admit that although I love muffins hot out of the oven, the flavor on these was better when they had cooled. Hmmm. Most banana muffins are better the second day, aren't they? This recipe was really perfect because it only made 4 muffins. You can make them with regular flour for some people and make them gluten free for those of us who are "special".

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast. Let me know what you think of the recipe.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

What do you do with that extra zucchini? Make zucchini pancakes, of course!

I bought this huge zucchini at Happy Patch produce for 50 cents. I had no idea what I would do with it, but, for 50 cents, I thought "why not?"

Unfortunately, the seeds were huge and the skin was really tough.

So, I peeled a piece and scooped out the seeds.

I used the box grater and grated the one piece I had prepared. It measured about 1 cup of zucchini. I looked for a recipe that would use just one cup. If the zucchini was inedible, no reason to waste the other ingredients or my time.

I follow The Southern Lady Cooks on facebook and she just posted a recipe for zucchini hoecakes - for those of you not from the South, hoecakes are a type of cornmeal pancakes. Her recipe called for 1 cup each of self-rising cornmeal, buttermilk, and zucchini with an optional pinch of cayenne (I used chipotle pepper). I realized this might be a great gluten free recipe with the added bonus that it did not use eggs. I am always looking for recipes that can be served to those with allergies or intolerances. Using gluten free cornmeal, baking powder and salt, I prepared my own cornmeal mix and assembled the ingredients.

I whisked the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Added the buttermilk and zucchini and mixed just to combine with a rubber spatula.

I always use my electric skillet and I lightly greased the pan with coconut oil. I used a big spoon and the recipe made 8 nice pancakes.

When they looked golden and slightly crispy, I flipped them. I did need to add a little extra coconut oil to keep them from sticking.